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Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2022.

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Other Authors: Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney
author_browse Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney
author_facet Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2021 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2022.
format Thesis
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:13.890Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/92169 Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo) Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney Fuller, Andrea Buss, Peter Erik u29002495@tuks.co.za Donaldson, Ashleigh Claire UCTD Free-living African lions Kruger National Park Cardiorespiratory effects. Panthera leo Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2022. Free-living African lions (Panthera leo) are routinely immobilised for veterinary, research and conservation procedures. Ideally, the drugs used for immobilization of free-living lions should result in rapid induction and immobilization with limited adverse cardiorespiratory effects. They also should be reversible or allow for rapid recovery. The currently favoured immobilizing drug combination is tiletamine-zolazepam-medetomidine, which is effective but results in long recovery times. Despite its widespread use, little is known about how this drug combination alters the physiology of immobilised lions captured in the wild. Reducing morbidity risks in immobilised lions through an increased understanding of immobilization-induced cardiorespiratory changes, as well as through improving recovery times, will contribute to future successes in managing wild felids. Other available drug combinations may be suitable for immobilizing lions and improve morbidity risks and recovery times. Ketamine-medetomidine has successfully been used to immobilise lions, but little data is available on the combination’s cardiorespiratory side-effects. The use of ketamine-butorphanol-medetomidine has never been reported for the immobilization of lions but its use has been reported in smaller wild felid species. I therefore investigated how respiratory and cardiovascular function, and immobilization and recovery quality and time, differed in African lions immobilised with tiletamine-zolazepam-medetomidine, ketamine-medetomidine and ketamine-butorphanol-medetomidine. Thirty-six free-living African lions of both sexes and varying ages were immobilised in the Kruger National Park over a period of three months. All three drug combinations caused minor respiratory and metabolic side-effects in the immobilised lions, and no one combination provided an advantage with regards to respiration. Lions immobilised with all three drug combinations were initially mildly hypoxaemic. The initial hypoxaemia was unlikely a consequence of respiratory depression, as lions exhibited respiratory rates on the higher end of normal, and normal ventilation. I determined that the hypoxaemia occurred because the drug combinations, and possibly the stress induced by the immobilization procedure, hindered alveoli oxygen gas exchange, confirmed by high alveolar-arterial gradients and F-shunts. Paraclinical Sciences PhD Unrestricted 2023-09-04T12:33:43Z 2023-09-04T12:33:43Z 2023-05 2022-10 Thesis * A2023 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/92169 en © 2021 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Free-living African lions
Kruger National Park
Cardiorespiratory effects.
Panthera leo
Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title_full Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title_fullStr Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title_short Efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free-living African lions (Panthera leo)
title_sort efficacy and physiological effects of novel drug combinations used to immobilise free living african lions panthera leo
topic UCTD
Free-living African lions
Kruger National Park
Cardiorespiratory effects.
Panthera leo
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/92169